Welcome to all!

Welcome back to OLSCC for another amazing year!  It has been an exciting first few days getting to know all the new students, hear everyone’s news, and see how much taller than me some of the students have become over the holidays!  I have had the pleasure of visiting all the classes on Wednesday and seeing great teaching and learning happening, as well as some wonderful pastoral care.  I would especially like to welcome all of our new Prep students, new students in other year levels, all their families, and our new teachers and other staff to OLSCC.  I know you will love it here as much as I do and will soon feel a part of our tight-knit community.  Whilst there are always a few tears on day 1, it was great to see our Captains and Prefects supporting the new Prep students (and Mums and Dads) as they made the transition to school during a time with Covid restrictions.  Well done to all involved in making this time both special and successful for the start of schooling for our youngest students.

For everyone not new to the College, it was great to see your wonderful start back for the year and I am very proud with how you have started and how you have supported the new people to our College.

All the best for an amazing 2021!

2020 Year 12 Success

Last year, many of our Year 12 cohort were pleasantly surprised with the excellent results they were awarded as the first students in a whole new Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) system.   Despite the challenges of being in the class of “firsts”, we are very pleased with results of the Year 12 cohort, including:

• Dux ATAR of 96.75 – Congratulations Charlotte Crothers!
• 2 students over 95.00
• 22% of ATAR ranks over 90.00
• 50% of ATAR ranks over 80.00
• 40% of students obtained VET qualifications
• Excellent university offers
• Excellent transition to employment and further training

These results speak for themselves, though there are some aspects of the outcomes that we are especially proud of.  Our university offer success has been excellent over the summer while the holidays have taken place.  Almost all students were offered and have accepted their first offer, some are engaging in alternate placements such as the QANTAS Pilot Academy, and despite many employers making contacts regarding possible future employment, all of our 2020 graduates seem to have found their feet or are well on their way to doing so.  One was at the College laying carpet on the holidays before he headed off to study Aviation at Griffith, another was beautifying our town by working with council in his time before starting Physiotherapy at QUT, another was trialling as a cabinet maker at the Sunshine Coast, another was well underway with his apprenticeship and another began fulltime working in agriculture in his dream job.

Though our greatest achievement was the actual people that left our grounds in late November last year.  At OLSCC, we don’t just educate the students in our care – we grow great people – all day, every day.  And that’s what makes our graduates the type of people that go on to support the community they live in and in turn, grow other great people.  On 19 December, when QCE and ATARs were shared with students, it was wonderful to sit down and have morning tea with the class of 2020 and enjoy a laugh whilst celebrating success.  For them – it wasn’t coming back to the institution where they were educated, it was coming back to share their success at their home away from home before moving onto new endeavours.

Agribusiness Pathways Program

This leads us to our Agribusiness Pathways program which begins this year at OLSCC with the introduction of the Cert II in Production Horticulture through our Year 10 Agriculture elective.  You may have noticed the paddock undergoing preparation on the corner of Russell and Cooper Streets.  This is where our Year 10’s will complete their Cert II practical component throughout this year and begin establishing the Agribusiness Pathways Program.  This is not a program in agriculture, but a variety of learning across the College based on meeting the employment needs of agribusiness across the nation.  It’s about raising professionals in agribusiness and business in general, it’s about valuing science and agriculture as interdependent faculties, and it’s about determining the needs of our local industry and developing the future leaders to suit.  We are currently working on developing an Agribusiness Pathways Committee which can guide our direction and provide insight and support to enable the program to run effectively and sustainably.  We will be hosting an information evening later in the term where further details of the program and how it will be rolled out over coming years. If you are interested in working with the College to raise the profile and capability of Agribusiness in our community, please contact Matt Hodge or myself.

It is bound to be exciting times ahead for our students as we further refine how we support the right pathways for them, particularly those who can utilise the learnings from the Agribusiness Pathways Program to slingshot themselves into careers that are in great demand locally and internationally, now and in the future.  We also continue the focus that it is their pathway, not the College’s, that is our focus.  We will continue to have students achieving ATARs from the 40’s to the 90’s.  We won’t make students change pathways to impact our percentages and data, we will support them to study the appropriate course to get them where they need to go.  Some strive to achieve their QCE, Cert II, Cert III, Apprenticeship or entry into med school.  Whatever the goal, that is the pathway that OLSCC will support your child on.

It was absolutely wonderful in our staff professional development week for us to take some time and work through exactly what our graduates of 2020 are up this year and the success they have achieved throughout their Journey in faith and knowledge.

Pete Cuskelly

Principal